


A Little Bit of Spice

by AightImmaHeadOut



Category: Death Note & Related Fandoms, Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:54:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28495668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AightImmaHeadOut/pseuds/AightImmaHeadOut
Summary: For Hope. A new kid comes to the orphanage, and Mello sees something no one will ever see.
Relationships: Mello | Mihael Keehl/Near | Nate River
Comments: 9
Kudos: 29





	A Little Bit of Spice

Mello walked down the hall. The orphanage was already starting to fill up, despite it being early morning.

Children ran into him holding toys, chasing friends, chattering to one another excitedly. Breakfast started in about half an hour, and Mello was bored because Matt had spent the previous night gaming despite his warnings that he would get an earful from Roger. He wandered around the orphanage looking for something entertaining, perhaps something new and daring. But it was one of those days where his day felt bland.

The grass outside was still wet with rain and mud, so Roger had locked both doors so no one would track mud in the house. The common room was filled with little kids who were playing with the same old toys, and the kitchen was filled with the same smells, and the same children were asking him to play the same games. His books still told him that his answers were right, as usual, and the scoreboard still said he was first.

For the first time in a while, Mello felt...off.

He used to think he had it all, he was smart, people looked up to him, and his physical strength was better then any of the adults. L's praise had been great, and amazing and he had felt special, but he already knew he was going to feel that way. He wanted something to spice things up. He wanted to do something that was different from all his 13 years of life. Mello sat on the window sill, watching the endless stream of rain start to kick in, and tuned out the chatter consuming the room.

When the breakfast bell went off, Mello woke up Matt, who came to get his food with a bedhead. The blonde didn't chatter with him as much as usual, as even he was confused by his behavior. Matt asked no questions, and continued to talk, something about his new high score that got last night. His friend just nodded and took a bite of his food and couldn't help scowling.

Even the food was bland.

Mello wordlessly got up from the table. Matt noticed immediately, but didn't follow - he knew it was one of those days where his friend needed to be alone for a few hours. He decided to talk to Linda instead, and was soon giggling over useless subjects. Mello walked back to his place in the window.

'It's raining pretty hard.' he thought. 'I hope the flowers don't get torn. If it does, I'm so not doing it again next year.'

Flower planting was something that you either loved or hated here at Wammy's. You spent the whole day outside, planting seed after seed, making sure that they were to bloom healthily in fall. Sometimes, the sun was blazing and it'd be so hot that you felt like you were a zombie, shuffling around uncomfortably. However, sometimes the spring would bring a cool wind, making the healthy smell of Earth spread on you're clothes and hair. It was those days that everyone (except Matt, that lazy pig) liked flower planting.

Mello's thoughts were interrupted by Roger's car pulling up to the now opened gate. The blonde watched quietly. At first he thought he probably went to do boring grownup things as he sometimes does. But he immediately knew that he was wrong when he focused on a small child getting out of the car. He was just about to take a closer look for himself when-

"Who's that?" said a voice from behind him.

Mello jumped.

"Jesus, Linda. How many times have I told you not to sneak up on me like that?"

Linda giggled. "I can't help it! But who's that girl next Roger?"

"I don't know," he scowled. "Maybe she's a new kid."

Linda gasped in delight.

"Everyone, everyone look! Roger has a new kid with him!" she screamed.

Before Mello could tell her to shut up, all the kids ran from their breakfast to Mello's quiet windowsill, squashing him like a pancake. They all gossiped excitedly.

"Who is she?"

"A new kid dummy, that's what she just said."

"Woah, she's soaking wet!"

"Why is she wet when Roger has an umbrella?"

"Maybe he found her in the rain."

"Look, her hair is white!"

Everyone went silent at that. The girl's hair was indeed white. No one at Wammys had white hair.

"That's weird."

"No, I think it's pretty!"

"Wonder what her name is?"

"She's pretty cute!"

"Mello, you should ask her out!"

Mello frowned. The kids were still young, but he didn't think they were stupid. "No," he told them. "If Roger's bringing her here, then there's no way that she's happy."

Everyone grimaced. Wammys was great: there was yummy food, a warm bed, plenty of playtime, but...They were all here because their caretakers didn't want them or were unable to come for them. They all had their own past that they kept a secret because they didn't want anyone to pity them. That's just how it worked.

The doors of the house opened.

"He's a boy." Roger said.

Most of the boys, and some of the girls, groaned. Mello couldn't help rolling his eyes. The boys just wanted someone to flirt with, and the girls just wanted someone to to spread gossip with. As if anyone could find love in the damn orphanage. The gir- boy was clutching Roger's pant leg as if it was the only thing keeping him from falling over. The dude looked like he was about 10, but he was short for his age. His hair had grown past his shoulders, and some of the shorter pieces sprang up into a curl, even with the weight of the rain.

His clothes were white, and dirty and drenched, the fabric sticking to parts of his body. His eyes were grey and big and scared. He looked like he was about to cry.

Roger seemed to notice the shaking as well. He sighed, and picked up the child carrying him up the stairs.

"Off with you," he said. "I don't want anyone in the my office and the nurses until I say so. Until then, please finish your breakfast."

Despite his speech, that didn't stop the children from bombarding him with questions whenever he came out of his office for a few seconds. He always goes back in there with bandages and gauze, and a few sedatives. Though Mello wasn't a compassionate person, he caught himself thinking about the boy with white hair.

'It must be bad,' he said as he chewed his chocolate slowly. 'He better be okay.'

He was not about to let a interesting person die before he gets to know him.

Rumors spread so much that day.

Perhaps the boy was a knight, swooping on a dragon. Maybe he was a spy for L. What if he was smarter then Mello?

Roger came down at dinner that night and told him the boy was called Near. He wasn't joining them for dinner because there was some...complications with his body. Mello couldn't help narrowing his eyes. What the hell did that mean? If Roger's lips weren't glued together before, they definitely were now. He didn't say shit about what had happened, what wounds he had, and how bad they were. They didn't know anything.

"There is one thing I am willing to share." Everyone held their breath in anticipation. "His name is Near."

Mello laid awake in his bed that night. Not even he was gonna doubt how intrigued he was with Near. Everyone was whispering of how mysterious he was, and Linda even said that she was gonna ask to draw a picture of him with his long hair.

He was gonna find out everything, whether Roger wants him to or not.

Mello lay low in the halls.

It was lights out in the orphanage, and Mello was breaking the rule of staying in your bedrooms till morning. He had heard from the other gossiping adults that ‘Near’ was sleeping in Roger’s room that night.

This wasn’t the problem. Though Roger’s offices was locked in night time hours, Mello had the rare knack of lock picking. The real problem was that Roger’s private room was attached to his office so he could hear every single peep that came in there

Even daredevil Mello wouldn’t dare sneak in the caretakers private quarters. Immediate suspension was guaranteed because of all the important documents from L that were kept top secret. However, Roger’s office was a different story. He wasn’t stupid enough to keep all the important papers in there. The most one could find was the students going to Wammys.   
  
And that’s exactly what he’s hoping for.   
  


His heart beats with excitement as he hears the lock click. He would be sure to tell everything to Matt later. Going over to his desk, he look through the files carefully. There’s Linda’s, then Matt, next is his own, then...

Bingo. Near.

It said all the basic stuff first: his name, age, and boring stuff.

He was just about to go on to the next part when he heard the sound any child would fear in the night. 

The door attached to the room slowly opens. Mello swear his heart stops. He closes his eyes, fully expecting Roger to tell at him until huffs ears come off, but he is instead greeted by an even more surprising sight.

Near himself is standing at the doorway with his long, princess looking hair. It’s neatly brushed and dry this time, and it looks thicker and curled then what Mello originally thought. The boy opened his mouth, whispering in the silence. 

  
“What are you doing?”

Mello looks, half of him wanting to tell him to go back to his (Roger’s?) room before he gets the both in trouble. His curiosity gets the better of him though, and he waves the boy in the room hurriedly. Near does, closing the door softly behind him, silencing Roger’s snores once again.

Near stand away from the taller boy suspiciously. His eyes were very intimidating, and he felt very small all is the sudden. It almost looked like his father back at home.

Near wasn’t an idiot. He knew that he was autistic, and he was able to explain in perfect detail what his parents had done to him. He was often underestimated because of this, but it didn’t stop him from enjoying the faces of adults when he showed them perfect scores on his tests. But this man named Roger wasn’t surprised. It was if he already knew what to expect, but still have him a proud look that made him feel warm.

But...there were bad days too. Horrible social skills, heightened senses, unintentional inappropriate behavior …sometimes he felt overwhelmed with himself, and everyone around him. Today happened to be one of those bad days.

But who could blame him? It has been one of the scariest moments of his life. He has been taken away from his home, and taken to a strange orphanage. He has learned as few things so far. 

The children here ranged from 3-15. Children were well taken care of here, there was food, separate bedrooms, warm temperatures. The big yard was obviously for the kids too, there were faint footprints and muddy toys left behind in the rain. There were toys inside to. It turns out each child had their own belongings too, clothes and books were carried around carefully, as if they were made of gold.

It turns out smarts had a lot of impact here. He wondered why. Judging from the scoreboards and the kids haughtily talking about their scores, it was important. It was an odd change, since no one gave a crap about how smart he was. People often assumed he was slow.

But not here. Here, you could keep as many things secrets as you want. In fact, you had to. You weren’t allowed to tell anyone about your past, your name. It was crazy how secretive everyone was here.

For safety reasons, they said. So no one could ever hurt you ever again.

And then there was this mysterious L person. Smart. Amazing. God-like. Faceless. That was all Roger could tell him, and how he could become all those things if he stayed here. He could be someone. 

And those were the things keeping him up tonight. And then he was startled by quiet footsteps in the office. He went to see who was there.

He started to panic. The boy was gonna hurt him. Best listen to him.

Mello, on the other hand was enchanted in the boy. He wanted to know his past, why he was here, his IQ, if he knew his parents.

But he noticed something else too. Near seemed to be shaking. This would be normal, but it seemed like he was breathing louder then normal. At first, it weirded Mello out, but he chose to ignore it because his curiosity was starting to kill him. He took a step forward.

”Come here,” he whispered. “I wanna talk to you.”

Near took a tentative step forward. His heart was pounding. 

Mello spoke. “What are you doing here?”

Although Near was scared, he was able to answer without letting his voice shake.

”Roger said that I’m not allowed to tell anyone.”

Mello inwardly groaned. Duh, of course he wouldn’t get anything out someone he hadn’t even spoken to yet. Mind as well make the most out of the damn situation.

”Give me a hint at least.” he said, his voice beginning to crack with frustration.

Near looked away from those intimidating eyes. The blonde watches him begin to twist a piece of hair with a finger.

”I don’t have a home, even at home. I would rather be anywhere else.”

Oh. That explained the bandages and gauze.

Language was very important here at Wammys. They were taught to take advantage of people’s words to gain the maximum information out of the smallest amounts of speech. He could only assume the boys past from his hint.

But that still didn't explain the sedatives. 

"Your turn."

Mello was shocked out of his thoughts. This boy was just full of surprises wasn't he? "What?" he snapped, much harsher then he intended to.

Near looked away, almost fearfully. The blonde looked at him as he twisted a long strand of hair around his finger. Mello tried to be mad, but at the same time he knew he pulled himself into this one. He was a a fair person, and always paid back his debts, whether it be willing or not. Besides, he had a firm grasp on what happened to Near, and it would make him seem weak and petty if he didn't answer. Here we go...

"Never mind. I'm sorry."

...What? Mello assessed the situation quickly. Near had given up within a minute of his request, he had even apologized. He was sure even the younger boy knew that without a certain amount of persistence, you would be stepped on all your life. And with the amount of competition here at Wammys, how was he even supposed to have a chance at being L, their only purpose in life? He knew how bad it was knowing that you had no choice, but it was even worse when children didn't even bother to try. He wasn't about to let this kid lose himself.

"Come to my room. My mom used to say I was good at giving haircuts, even Roger says so."

"Better?" 

Near looked at the strange reflection in the mirror, who was most definitely him. Mello had cut his hair short, and he still wasn't used to how the curls sprang up much more prominently then before. The carpet was colored with white strands. It kind of looked like...

"It's lighter. Easier to manage." 

Mello smiled with satisfaction. Sure, he liked trimming his hair every few weeks or so, but big projects like this were much better. He wouldn't have anyone mistaking him as a girl now. The blonde turned around to put away the scissors and comb, and when he turned back to his client, it seemed like someone punched him in the stomach. Near was standing now, and he was looking at his reflection and crying. One hand was covering his face as if it helped him hide his tears. 

At first the older thought he should leave him alone for a while, but after a few seconds it became clear to him that Near needed help. He was borderline hyperventilating now, and then it became clear to him.

The sedatives. _A drug used to calm the brain down in order to make the body relax. Commonly used for sleeping disorders and anxiety._

Mello was starting to panic. Hell, he was used to making people cry and eat their words, but he had almost no experience helping people get through panic attacks. He definitely didn't have any sedatives now, but if he went to get Roger he could get blamed for making Near like this. He had no clue what to do.

_'Except you do, boy.'_

Oh. It was if he opened a dusty chest in his memories. He remembered waking up to his mother crying on the bathroom floor, and on the really bad days of their debt, she would be borderline hyperventilating. Just like Near. 

Yes. This is what he had to do."

Near had no idea how he got to this point to begin with. He had gotten used to forcing his body to calm down, but he was already past that line. Now what? He started to feel the familiar rush of his past choking him, and then his chest started to hurt, and then his head started to pound. His hands were starting to feel cold and he felt tears filling his eyes. 

Disgusting. He thought he was already past this faze. Past the attacks, and the pain, and the hurt. It was his fault wasn't it? All the pain was his payment for his bizarre habits.

_Ow. Mom, Dad, it hurts. I'm sorry for bothering you. I'm sorry for being a disappointment. I'm sorry for being annoying. I'm sorry for being like this. I'm sorry that I'm a mistake. I'm sorry that you have to deal with me. I'm sorry for embarrassing you._

_Please stop, it hurts, that's enough. Look, I'm bleeding now, I'm at my limit. Mom, why are you letting him do this? Why aren't you telling him to stop?_

_Red. Blue. Flashing colors. Dizzying noises. The sound of the door breaking down. Being stuffed in a closet, and not remembering being found._

A warm palm on his back separates him. This wasn't right. This wasn't part of the memory. Has he gone crazy.

_"Shhh. Focus on me, okay?"_

Yeah. Yeah, that was nice. Maybe he should try to escape again. 

The rest of the night was a blur after that. Perhaps Near snuck back to Roger's room and left and an exhausted Mello on the floor. Maybe Mello half carried, half dragged Near back to Roger after he calmed down. Who knows? 

It all ended the same anyways. With all the caretakers and children in the orphanage gawking at Near's new hairstyle. With Mello being way too overprotective over Near. With their connection being stronger then Mello lets on. With Mello being jealous of how close Linda and Near got. With Mello trying to hate Near when they found out who was smarter. With Mello failing miserably and accidently falling in love. With Mello kissing Near timidly on gardening day. 

Who cares? Whether all the children said they cared or not, only Mello saw his weak side when they sneak to each others rooms. 

Only Mello was the one who comforted Near in his darkest times. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! How was everyone's Christmas? If you celebrate it of course. The break was something that I needed, although I was very busy. Damn, haven't posted in months. Time goes by fast, but I'm not finished with Meronia yet :D


End file.
